


A Beacon in the Darkness

by katie_049



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: BFFP, F/M, Post Season 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26160349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katie_049/pseuds/katie_049
Summary: “Brett, what the hell are you doing? Get out of there now!” Severide’s voice reached her ears, but she ignored him as she pushed her head under the row of seats.Post Season 8 - written for the BFFP contest
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 32
Kudos: 177





	A Beacon in the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys,   
> I had an idea in my head for a while, and I needed to get it out, so here it is. I managed to twist it around a little so this is also my entry for the August prompt challenge from Tumblr (BFFP).   
> This feels just a little flat, and I'm not sure if I got Emily right, but I just needed to be done with it to write the new chapter for Grounded in Love.   
> Let me know what you think! :)

The scene of their call was a mess. It was the middle of the night when the whole house got called out to a major car pileup on I-90. Two trucks had collided sideways into each other, one falling onto the other. Several cars had reared into them, and when they arrived, people were screaming and running around the accident scene. The police had already secured the perimeter, closing the street, but 51 was the first to arrive on the scene, taking command.

“I don’t think I’ve seen this big of an accident before,” Violet Lin voiced next to Sylvie in the passenger seat. The young paramedic had transferred to 81 after Emily had left just two weeks ago. Lin was a decent paramedic, sometimes a little too impulsive, but they were working on that.

“You need to stay focused, Violet. Don’t freak out and just treat one patient at the time. Other ambulances will come,” Sylvie murmured as she opened the door and jumped out of the rig. “You were trained for this.”

Violet nodded before jumping out herself. “I’ve got this,” she repeated to herself as she threw the door shut.

Taking a deep breath, Sylvie closed her own door and rounded the ambulance to meet Violet who had gotten their bag out. She looked more confident than before, and Sylvie was glad she hadn’t coddled her. The young paramedic worked best under strict guidance, something Sylvie was certainly not used to, but they were on a learning curve.

“Brett, come and look at the driver of this car,” Severide called out to her from a few feet away.

She turned into his direction, giving Lin some last-minute instructions, “Just check everyone you can see, and make sure to listen to your radio in case anyone needs you.” With one last look at her partner, she ran off towards the car where squad was working on getting the man out.

It was the second car that had rammed into the trucks, and the hood of the black Sedan was almost completely smashed. The car behind it was partially standing on top of the Sedan, and Sylvie frantically looked for the closest way around to reach the passenger side. In the end, Capp helped her to climb over the hood, and a few seconds later, she was looking through the passenger side window, her eyes scanning over the man.

“I need to get in to check him out,” she addressed Severide who stood on the other side of the car. “I just need a few minutes.”

The lieutenant pressed his lips together, his eyes roaming over the front and the back of the car. “Trucks working on stabilizing the car behind us. You need to stay in the front in case it gives in.”

“Got it,” she muttered as she motioned for Capp to help her into the vehicle through the smashed window. “Help me inside and then I need you to hand me the neck brace.”

The firefighter followed her instructions without question, and a few moments later, she was sitting in the passenger seat, checking over the man. He was unconscious and bleeding from his femoral artery, but he was breathing. After putting on a neck brace, she quickly dressed his thigh with a tourniquet, and once the bandage was secure, she checked his pulse again. The second she touched his wrist, he stirred.

“Sir, can you hear me?” She questioned him, gently shaking his shoulder. “You were in a car accident and we’re working on getting you out. Just hang on for a few more minutes.”

She could see his lips moving, but no words were coming out of his mouth. Patting his shoulder softly, she tried to assure him again, “Just hang on for a few minutes longer, and then you’ll be out of here. My colleagues are working as fast as they can.”

He squeezed his eyes shut before blinking them open and moving his head.

“Sir, you need to stay as still as possible. Your legs are stuck, and I can’t rule out a neck injury. I promise I’ll give you something for the pain in a few minutes.” A crease formed on her forehead at his agitated state. It was a miracle he was awake at all.

“Brett, it’s time to get out,” Capp told her from the outside and she nodded her head at him.

“Sir, I have to leave the car now, please remain calm. You’ll be out in just a minute,” she tried to soothe him one last time, but as she was turning to leave, he grabbed her arm, squeezing it tight.

“The baby,” he muttered incoherently, and an icy chill ran down her back. “Is she OK?”

“Sir, was your daughter in the car with you?” Panic rose inside of her as she shot around, turning towards the back of the car. It was too dark to see anything. “Capp, give me your flashlight.”

“Brett, you need to get out now. It’s not safe in there,” Capp urged her again.

“There is a baby in the back of the car. Give me your damn flashlight,” she ordered him angrily, holding out her hand. The possibility of the baby still being alive was pretty high, if she remained in her car seat. There was no way in hell, she wouldn’t look for her now.

The squad member stayed quiet, handing her his flashlight. Shifting around in her seat, she searched around the backseat. The backrest had unlocked and was pushed almost all the way down to the cushion of the seats, the headrest of the back row lodged into the ones from the front row. It was probably the only thing holding the seats up, and the space there was limited, but it still left enough space for her to slip between the two front seats, putting her in the middle of the car.

“Brett, what the hell are you doing? Get out of there now!” Severide’s voice reached her ears, but she ignored him as she pushed her head under the row of seats.

It took her only a few more seconds to locate the car seat that had come undone and slipped partially into the footwell between the two rows of seats. The baby was still strapped into it tightly, and she reached out to feel for breath. The moment a soft blow of air reached her fingers, she checked for a pulse and was rewarded with a steady heart rate.

“She’s still breathing, but unconscious, I’m gonna get her out,” she yelled back over her shoulder before pushing her other arm between the seats too, loosening the straps of the car seat.

“Brett, get the hell out of the car!” Severide screamed at her again, but she didn’t listen and as she reached out to scoop the baby out of the seat, the car rattled around her, and a second later, she blacked out.

* * *

  
  


“Brett, get the hell out of the car!” Matt Casey heard his best friend yell loudly, and his head snapped into their direction, just in time to see the roof of the car squad was working on give in.

His heart stopped beating as he watched the scene in front of him unfold. The door on the driver’s side was pulled open just as the roof gave in, and a string of curses left Severide’ mouth. Matt watched as Tony and Cruz pulled out the unconscious man from the car in record time, while Capp handled the jaws to break open the passenger door. 

The second the front seat was empty, Severide dove into the car. “Brett, can you hear me? Tony, get that damn roof stabilized, her head is pinned in between the seat cushion and the backrest of the seats.”

Panic spread through his body, and Matt’s feet carried him towards the scene. He came to a stop behind his best friend, spying into the car and past Kelly to spot the paramedic.

“What the hell happened? Why was she in there?” He questioned his best friend with a raspy voice, swallowing thickly. He could make out Sylvie’s lower back that was pressed between the two front seats, but the rest of her upper body disappeared between the cushions. 

“I repeatedly told her to get out of the car. There’s a baby trapped between the seats, and she was trying to grab it when the roof gave in,” Severide responded. The lieutenant shifted around and reached between the cushion. “She’s got a pulse, and she’s breathing, but her head is pinned in between the cushion. And I think she might have broken her arm, but I can’t say for certain.”

“What was she doing in there in the first place?” Matt countered through gritted teeth. His hands were shaking, and he balled them into fists to control his anger.

“Stop asking me questions, and get that damn car off the roof, Case,” Kelly snapped while shooting him a pointed look. “You’re not helping her by being an ass.”

Matt locked his jaw, biting his teeth together to not explode. He knew that his friend was right, but his head wasn’t in the game right now. Sylvie slowly grew on him the last few months, and he couldn’t imagine losing her. It would break him.

It took every last bit of his willpower to push himself back into action, and over the next five minutes, he worked with the rest of truck to get the car off the roof, and then proceeded to cut off the roof of the car she was trapped in. The minutes that passed seemed excruciatingly long, but when he finally saw some blonde wisps of her hair, he felt like he could breathe again.

Her arm laid over the car seat in an unnatural angle, broken by the headrest that would have otherwise crushed the baby. Blood was dripping from a gash on her temple, and her lip was swollen and bleeding too. The image ripped his heart out, and he had to turn away when squad carefully pulled her out on a backboard.

Two paramedics from ambulance 99 were standing close by with a stretcher, and the second she was lowered onto it, they started to examine her. When they splinted her arm, she groaned loudly, and Matt stepped closer to the stretcher.

“Hey, Brett, can you hear me?” Andrews asked her in a clear voice, leaning over her. “You got crushed by a car, and we’re taking you to Med now.”

Another groaned followed, and Matt crossed the distance between them, coming to stand by her head. Her eyes were pressed shut, and her forehead was wrinkled. He wanted to reach out and smooth the wrinkles away, but he was too afraid of hurting her. Instead, he rested his hand on her head gently, leaning down to her.

“Stay still, Sylvie. I’m coming with you to Med, and they’ll take care of you. Don’t worry,” he whispered, trailing his thumb over the soft strands of hair on her hairline.

“The baby,” she groaned, squeezing her eyes tighter together.

“The baby is fine. Kidd and Lin are taking her to the hospital now,” he assured her.

Pain was etched onto her face, and it broke his heart. Silent tears were streaming down her cheeks, and he brushed some of them away.

“We need to go now,” Andrews addressed him, and he nodded, stepping aside and letting the paramedics move the stretcher towards the ambulance. He followed them quietly with long strides, never straying too far from them.

Once Sylvie was loaded up, he jumped into the rig with her, glad that Andrews didn’t seem to question his motives, and steadily worked on getting Sylvie an IV. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Severide closing the doors of the ambulance, but he was too focused on the woman in front of him to say anything else to his friend.

“Matt?” Sylvie’s voice rang through the ambulance, laced with panic.

He immediately reached out to lay his hand on her leg, rubbing over her shin. “I’m right here. I’m not leaving you,” he promised her, easing some tension in her body.

“Brett, you know what day it is, and what you were doing right before you blacked out?” Andrews asked her, sitting down next to Matt as the ambulance started to move.

“It’s Tuesday night, and we were called to a multi-car pileup on I-90. I was treating a patient when he told me his baby was still in the back, so I went to look for her, but I can’t remember what happened,” she recounted the events, moaning again. “My head hurts.”

“You broke your arm, and you have a nasty gash on your forehead. You were out for several minutes, so we can’t rule out any brain trauma. Anything else I should know, Brett? You know the protocol, walk through it with me,” Andrews instructed her.

For a minute, the ambulance stayed quiet, and Andrews checked Sylvie over again, repeating the steps of the concussion protocol. When the paramedic lifted her eyelid, shining the light into her pupils, Sylvie gasped.

Matt’s eyes flew up to her face, checking if her breathing was labored, but he just found her blinking several times. “What’s wrong?” He asked carefully, squeezing her shin.

“I can’t see,” she rasped, her voice giving out towards the end.

“Stay calm, Brett. You have a nasty concussion and vision loss is part of that,” the woman next to him told her, patting Sylvie’s shoulder. “It’s likely just temporary and will clear up in the next few hours. You had half a car resting on your head.”

The heartbeat monitor started to beat faster, and Sylvie desperately gasped for air as more tears streamed down her face. Andrews nudged him in the side, motioning him to switch seats with her, and he quickly complied.

His new position allowed him to get closer to Sylvie, and he leaned over to her, placing his hand on her forehead again, mindful to not put too much weight on it. His thumb stroked over the skin of her forehead, reaching her hairline and smoothing back down again.

“Hey, take a deep breath. It will be alright,” he whispered softly as he interlaced their fingers together, guiding their hands inside his turnout coat and pressing them against his chest. “Breathe with me, Sylvie. I’m right here, and I’m not leaving.”

His eyes were locked onto her face and he watched as she closed her eyes again, sucking in a few breaths as she slowly matched her breathing to his. Her heart rate slowed down too, and once they reached the hospital, she was calm again, only a few stray tears rolling down her cheeks.

They were greeted by Dr. Will Halstead, and relief washed over Matt as the doctor gave him a curt nod before they wheeled Sylvie into the trauma bay.

* * *

  
  


“I’ve been gone for two weeks, and you knuckleheads manage to get my bestie injured?” Emily Foster’s voice boomed through the waiting room as she appeared in front of them, a little out of breath.

Matt’s head snapped up at her voice, and he leaned back in his chair. He heard Kidd mentioning that she called Emily, but his mind hadn’t processed it.

The entire house had holed up in the waiting room of Med, waiting for an update on their paramedic. Matt hadn’t been allowed to stay by her side once they had reached the trauma bay, something he knew was going to happen, but it hadn’t made it any easier to leave her side. He wasn’t thinking rationally at the moment, and he had stood in front of her room, watching Will and a few nurses work on her until Kidd had grabbed his arm and pulled him into the waiting area.

“Keep it down, Foster,” Kidd greeted her as she stood up and hugged her friend. “Brett’s tough. This isn’t going to knock our girl down.”

While Matt wanted to believe his friend’s girlfriend, he couldn’t mentally calm himself down enough to relax. Agitated, he stood up and strutted to the entrance of the waiting room from where Foster had just entered. He needed some fresh air.

“You were supposed to keep her safe,” Foster yelled behind him, and he froze in the door, knowing that she was addressing him.

Turning back, he looked her straight into the eye. “I wasn’t with her when it happened. I didn’t know she climbed into the back of the car. If I had been there, I would have stopped her from crawling in the back in the first place.” Matt forced himself to not look at Severide, who got up too.

The squad lieutenant strode towards them, stopping beside him and crossing his arms. “If you got something to say to me, then say it to my face,” he growled lowly.

“You should have never let her crawl into the back like that. She shouldn’t have been in the car in the first place. It was too unstable,” Matt hissed, and his head snapped back up to look at his friend.

“Our victim was bleeding out,” Kelly hollered, stepping closer to him. “She was supposed to stabilize him and get back out. I repeatedly told her to get out of the car, but she wouldn’t listen. She had her mind up about saving that baby.”

“Giving her an order isn’t the only thing you could have done. You and I both know that. If it was Kidd in the car, you would have jumped into action immediately,” Matt sneered, pushing his friend away from him.

He knew he crossed a line to make his point, but he was too angry to be sensitive about anything right now. Severide huffed with anger, but Stella stepped between them before he could fire back.

“That’s enough guys. Sit back down, Kelly,” she ordered him, pushing him towards the chairs and then turning to Matt. “You go take a walk or something, accusing each other about who’s at fault is not helping Brett.”

Without another word, he swiftly left the room, heading for the nearest exit.

* * *

  
  


It was almost two hours later before Will came to the waiting room to give them news. Matt had just dozed off when Foster nudged her elbow into his side, making him jolt awake. He instantly rose to his feet.

“Sylvie will make a full recovery,” Will started off, and a unanimous sigh of relief went through the room. “She does have a severe concussion with vision loss, but that should clear up over the next few hours. There’s no bleeding in her brain, but we sedated her for a few hours to give the swelling in her brain a chance to go down. Her right arm is broken, but we were able to set it and just put a cast on it. She’s gonna be off shift for a while, but she got lucky.”

“When will she wake up?” Foster asked from his side.

“The sedation should wear off around noon. I know you’re all eager to see her, but it would be best if only two people see her now. She needs as much rest as possible,” Will cautioned them.

Matt swallowed hard, his shoulders slacking. With both Kidd and Foster present, there was no chance he’d be one of the people allowed into her room. He completely understood though. They were her best friends, and Sylvie would want them there once she woke up. Resigned, he left the room again, walking down the corridor until he was out of sight and away from the waiting room.

Tiredly, he slumped down against the wall, sinking to the ground until he was sitting on the floor. Pulling his legs up to his body, he leaned his head against his knees. It had been one hell of a night, and even though it was already 4 am, and he hadn’t slept in almost 24 hours, he felt wide awake.

The image of Sylvie lying on the stretcher, crying and hurting, was burnt into his mind, and he knew he was going to have nightmares about it for a while. The blonde woman had a special place in his heart, and while he wasn’t trying to get ahead of himself, he was certain his attraction for her was mutual.

Those first few terrifying minutes of not knowing if she was alive petrified him, and he hoped to never feel this way again. It also taught him that life was too short and that he needed to act on his feelings for her sooner rather than later. Of course, there was always a chance of ruining their friendship, but maybe it was worth trying. She deserved the world, and someone who would love her unconditionally and wholly, and if he could be that person, he would be the lucky one because deep down he knew that he would get the same amount of love and respect back from her.

“Hey there.”

Matt looked up to see Foster standing in front of him, hands on her hips. She mustered him for a few seconds before sliding down next to him.

“I got tired of waiting for you, so I almost went alone to see our girl,” she piped up as she leaned her head against the wall. “And I’d honestly prefer it, if we wouldn’t remain sitting on this cold and gross hospital floor for too long. I’m just wearing my jammies, and I’m literally freezing my butt off.”

Confused, Matt turned to look at her. “I figured you and Kidd would stay with her.”

“Nah, we talked about that,” Emily waved him off. “While we may be her best friends, we both agreed that she’d prefer to see your face once she wakes up, and we don’t wanna disappoint her. Besides, Stella told me all about her crying for you at the scene and not her.”

“She was just scared,” he tried to reason, but his defense wasn’t exactly strong.

“Alright, Captain. Listen up here. Sylvie’s literally the most precious ray of sunshine you could possibly imagine, so you better make sure you know what you want from her before moving your relationship with her in any direction,” Foster reminded him sternly, leveling him with a sideways look. “And let’s also not forget she’s a freaking eleven!”

A crease appeared on his forehead, and he huffed softly, “I take offense in you questioning my motives with her. I’m repeatedly told I’m too nice.”

“Well, consider yourself warned now. She’s my roomie and my bestie so you’ll answer to me, if this goes sideways,” Foster added seriously. “She deserves to be wooed. I hope you’re prepared for that.”

Matt sighed, letting his legs straighten out in front of him. “I would never hurt her intentionally. What we have is special, and if she chooses to give me a chance, I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy.”

Foster nodded her head at him, pushing herself up from the floor. “That’s all I need to know.” She pointed down the corridor. “Can we go see her now? I’ll feel better once I see that she still has all her limbs attached to her.”

Matt chuckled at her comment and got up with a sigh. “Are you going to keep teasing me about her?”

“Absolutely,” the young woman assured him as they walked down the corridor. “And you’ll thank me on your wedding day.”

The thought of marrying Sylvie made his heart skip a beat, but he quickly toned down his excitement. He was getting way ahead of himself, but Foster’s confidence rubbed off on him. It was also all the confirmation he needed to know that his feelings were definitely reciprocated.

* * *

  
  
It was almost 2 pm when the sedation finally wore off, and Sylvie woke up again.

Matt and Emily had pulled two chairs up to her bed, sitting side by side with Emily sitting closer to her head, holding the blonde woman’s hand. Until now, he had kept his hands to himself, but he had longed to feel her warm body, so when she finally stirred in her bed, moaning, he reached out and placed his hand on her leg.

“Hey, girl, it’s about time you woke up,” Emily greeted her, standing up and sitting beside her on the bed. “You gave us quite the scare.”

Sylvie wrinkled her forehead, and her eyes remained pressed shut. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, swallowing in the process before she moved her head from side to side. A mutter of incoherent words left her mouth, and she tried to lift her broken arm, groaning in pain.

“Calm down, roomie,” Emily whispered softly and pressed the nurse button. “I know you’re in pain. We’ll get you something for that in just a second.” She rubbed over her arm repeatedly, hushing her like a little baby.

A few more incoherent words left Sylvie’s mouth, and she trashed her head around. “Mh… Mh… Matt,” she rasped before another groan left her lips.

“See, told you she’d want to see you and not me,” Emily muttered while vacating her place next to Sylvie, making space for him.

He stood up from his chair and took Emily’s place on Sylvie’s hospital bed, grabbing her hand. “I’m still here,” he assured her, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

She latched onto his hand tightly, her knuckles turning white as if she was trying to squeeze away her pain. Her head was still trashing from side to side, and her breathing got labored with each passing minute, and worry bubbled up in Matt.

Just a second later, Will and Nurse Evie entered the room and examined Sylvie again. Luckily, nobody tried to get him to move from her side, and the two of them worked around him. He was pretty sure that Sylvie wouldn’t let go of his hand anyway, her grip still tight.

“We gave you some pain meds, Sylvie, so you should feel better in a few minutes. You have a severe concussion, and you’re going to have these headaches for a few more days, but they should lessen,” Will addressed her as he stood on the other side of the bed. “Let me know when you feel ready to speak. I’ve got to ask you a few questions.”

Over the next minutes, Matt concentrated on brushing his thumb over the back of her hand, watching as the crease on her forehead got smaller and her grip on his hand loosened. Soon, she was taking calm and steady breaths again, her head stopping to trash around, but her eyes remained shut.

“It’s better,” she said in a low voice, and Matt felt a wave of relief flash through him at hearing her voice.

“Great,” Will responded, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “How about you try to open your eyes? Your vision loss should have subsided by now.”

The paramedic stayed still, keeping her eyes firmly shut, her lips pressed into a thin line. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she took a shaky breath. “What if it’s not gone?”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Matt muttered, reaching out and wiping the tear off her face. “They examined you thoroughly, and apart from your concussion, there will be no lasting brain damage. Have some faith in Will.”

“How about this?” Will asked as he covered her eyes with his hand. “Does this make a difference?” He lifted his hand away from her eyes again.

The blonde woman gave a small nod, taking a deep breath before blinking her eyes open. At first, she was unfocused, but after a few seconds, her eyes found his own.

A smile spread over his face, and he tilted his head to the side. “Hey there.”

More tears rolled down her cheeks, and she blinked them away, turning to Will. “It’s still a little blurry, and it’s making me feel dizzy.”

“That’s normal. Try focusing on one thing at a time. By tonight, the blurriness should have passed,” Will explained, sending her an encouraging smile.

Sylvie’s gaze moved back to Matt, moving over his face. It was wonderful to see her blue eyes looking back to him, and he gave her hand another soft squeeze.

“Uh, I know my scrubs don’t stand a chance against his captain uniform, but maybe focus on me for a few more minutes, so we can finish your check-up, and I can get out of your hair,” Will suggested with a smirk.

Sylvie blushed furiously, but focused on Will once more, her gaze not wavering away from him until he was finished with her exam. Overall, she didn’t suffer from any memory loss, but Will warned her about having trouble with her short-term memory for a while.

After Will left, Emily took his place next to her bed. “I’m glad you’re OK, Sylvie. I’m gonna call Stella and the others to let you know you’re awake.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her friend’s cheek, sending him a wink before leaving the room.

Sylvie’s gaze had dropped to their joined hands, and her thumb brushed over the pulse point on his wrist, lingering now and then. “Ever heard of someone who broke their arm twice in a year?” She questioned him nervously.

A chuckle left his throat. “If I remember correctly, you broke your left arm last year, so it’s technically not the same arm.”

She huffed softly, shaking her head. “But it’s just my luck. I won’t be able to do a thing for the next few weeks. My life’s a mess, and it just keeps getting worse.”

“Your life’s not a mess, Sylvie. You’ve been dealt a bad hand, but it will get better,” he reminded her, tugging at her hand. “And we could have avoided this situation, if you would have listened to Severide. What you did was dangerous. You can’t disobey orders like that. It’s not your job to extract victims out of badly damaged cars, especially if you’re not wearing any protective gear.”

The paramedic bit down on her lip, letting her head fall to the side and moving her gaze to the windows. Her fingers stopped their ministrations on his hand, and she fell quiet.

“This is all I will say as your captain,” he continued, tapping the back of her hand with his thumb. “Now as your friend and someone who cares very deeply for you, I’m gonna tell you you scared the crap out of me, and I’d prefer for that not to happen again.”

Her chin quivered at his words, and if she bit her lip any harder, she would draw blood. It wasn’t helping anyway as tears spilled out of her eyes. “It was a baby, Matt. I couldn’t just leave her there. You wouldn’t have turned your back either.”

“Please look at me, Sylvie,” he pleaded, reaching out and gently grabbing her chin with his fingers. She turned her head willingly though, so his hand slid to cup her cheek. “I know I would have done the same thing, but the thought of losing you is not something I ever want to think about. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this way.”

More tears spilled down her cheeks, and a sob left her throat. “Why are you so nice to me? You’re making it impossibly hard not to like you, Matt Casey.”

Chuckling softly, he wiped away some of her tears. “Maybe because I want you to like?”

Another sob left her throat, her breath hitching. “But I’m not supposed to feel this way. You’re my ex-best friend's ex-husband, and in the end, you’ll get back together with her and break my heart.”

“I’m hearing a lot of exes in that one,” he answered amused, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. “But I can assure you that I will not get back together with Gabby, and I will also not break your heart,” he paused, making her look at him. “But I am glad that you feel this way because I like you too.”

Her eyes widened, and she hiccupped. “You do?”

Scooting closer to her, he cupped her other cheek too, wiping away the remaining tears. “I do. You’ve snuck up on me, and I know there’s a lot of history between us, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re the last thing I think about when falling asleep and the first thing I think about when I wake up.”

The blonde woman stared into his eyes, blinking away the last moisture from her eyes. She shakily lifted her hand to his cheek, placing it against his skin and trailing her thumb over his cheekbone.

He closed his eyes at her touch, relishing the feeling of her close proximity. His heart was beating fast against his ribcage, and his entire body tingled after finally admitting his feelings to her. A weight was lifted off his shoulders, and he felt like he could finally breathe again.

Their faces moved closer to each other, and soon their foreheads touched, her eyes closing too. They breathed in the same air for a few agonizing minutes, and he had to use every last restraint to not press his lips against hers. Instead, he moved his head away, pressing a kiss to her forehead before locking eyes with her once more.

“Our first kiss will not be in this hospital,” he stated with a smile on his face. “We’re going to do this the right way. So, first things first, I will take you out on a date, if you let me.”

A small smile spread over her lips, and she nodded her head between his hands. “Yes, I would love to go out with you.”

Grinning, he pressed another kiss to her forehead, pushing her gently back against her pillow. “Then I need you to rest now because the sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can take you out.” He let go of her face and tangled their fingers back up together.

“Will you stay?”

Standing up from her bed, he pulled the hospital chair as close to her bed as he could and then leaned his arm against the side of her bed, so he was able to place his hand on her head, his fingers smoothing over her hairline.

“Always.” 


End file.
